Still life Painting in Oils

with Sarah Margaret Gibson

This course is open to: students of all skill/experience levels—from beginners to oil painting to those with atelier training.

‘Still life painting is a form of mediation for the artist; it allows one to slow down, and carefully observe what one truly sees, without bias. It also presents a wonderful opportunity for an artist to experiment with colour, texture and composition; the possibilities are truly endless. —Sarah Margaret Gibson

In this 5-day workshop, Ayrshire Atelier’s Creative Director, Sarah Margaret Gibson will guide you in painting three finished still life compositions over the course of five days. The first two paintings will follow a two-day process: the first day will be dedicated to composing and then to establishing the foundation of the painting in a monochromatic underpainting, and the second day will be an alla-prima style apporach to blocking in the painting in colour, bringing it to a finish in a single session. On the final day of the workshop, students will complete one true ‘alla prima’ painting, starting directly in colour without an underpainting and bringing the painting to a finish in a single session. Composition, color, paint handling, and proper use of materials will all be discussed and explored. 

Students will receive instruction in the form of a group lecture and demonstration at the beginning of each day, and then through individually tailored critiques.

Previous drawing and painting skills are a bonus, but not pre-requisite. Students of all skill levels are welcome.

During this course, you will gain an understanding of the following key concepts:

-How to create a successful, informal and yet dynamic composition 

-How to utilise sight-size technique

-How to work with a monochromatic underpainting

-Alla prima style painting technique: how to block in the subject in simple colour-value groups, painting wet into wet and covering the whole canvas in a single session.

-Paint handling and brushwork

-Palette organisation and colour mixing theory

Materials List

All materials can be purchased on either Jacksonsart.com or Cassart.co.uk or supremepaint.co.uk unless stated otherwise. We recommend buying all your supplies in advance of the workshop. Most materials below have a specific product link in gold.

However, if you are traveling internationally and are looking to make packing easier, you can get most of your paints (with the exception of lead white), your mineral spirits and basic linseed oil at the local Cass Art Store, located just 5 minutes’ walk from the studio. Otherwise, to buy supplies in advance you will have to do so from an equivilent art supply store in your own country, as we cannot have supplies shipped to the Academy in advance. Thank you.

Paints:

• Lead white no.1 (Rublev). Titanium is an alternative, if necessary, but it performs very differently. 

• Genuine Naples Yellow Light (Michael Harding)

• French Yellow Ochre (Michael Harding)

• Genuine Vermillion or Cadmium Red (Michael Harding)

• Burnt Sienna (Michael Harding)

• Red Umber (Old Holland)

• Alizarin Claret (Michael Harding)

• Ivory Black (Michael Harding)

• Cobalt Blue (Michael Harding)

• Ultramarine Blue (Michael Harding)

• Burnt Umber (Michael Harding)

• Raw Umber (Old Holland)

Brushes:

Assortment of hog bristle and sable filberts and rounds:

• I generally use Rosemary & Co. hog bristle filbert and rounds, sizes 0, 2, 4, 6, (a few of each size). And Sables in sizes 2, 4 and 6 (a few of each size)

• Recommended Rosemary Series: Classic Filberts, Classic Rounds, Sable Filbert Series 91

• A few soft hair pointed “drawing brushes” for precision refinements

  • e.g., Rosemary “Eclipse Rigger,” size 0; or Series 88, Rigger size 0

Mediums:

All mediums can be purchased on Jacksonsart.co.uk

• Gamsol odourless mineral spirits (for those traveling to Scotland by plane, Gamsol will be provided for you)

• Cold-pressed linseed oil (Chelsea Classical Studio, preferably)

• Chelsea Classical Lavendar Damar Varnish

Support:

• 3 oil-primed, fine linen boards . 13 x 18 cm. (Available Jacksonsart.com: https://www.jacksonsart.com/jacksons-oil-primed-linens-on-mdf-board-cl540 ) 

Other:

• 1 wooden palette (glass is acceptable too, but please no white disposable palette sheets!!!)

• 2x Palette Knife

• Paper towels and/or cotton rags

• 2 medium cups with lids (or a couple of small glass jars with lids)

• Brush washer with sealable lid

• 1 roll of masking tape

• 1 roll of cling film

• 1 roll of aluminium foil

• 1 tupperware box for storing paints

Instructor bio

Sarah Margaret Gibson (b. 1988) is from Cincinnati, OH.

Sarah Margaret is a world-renowned master in contemporary realist painting. She specialises in portraiture, bird and floral paintings, and in still-lifes. Characterized by a rich tenebrism, Gibson’s work dramatically juxtaposes light against shadow. She believes that light, and all of its symbolic qualities, are most poetic when contrasted against dark. Through her drawings and paintings, Gibson opens up a dialogue with nature, responding to what she finds beautiful and endeavoring to communicate this through the medium of oil paint.

Gibson received her formal training in drawing and painting in Florence, Italy. She studied at the Angel Academy of Art from 2008-2010, and then completed the full three-year program at The Florence Academy of Art, from which she graduated in 2013 and where she subsequently taught as a Principal Instructor in their Intermediate Drawing and Painting Programme.

In 2015 Sarah Margaret moved to the west coast of Scotland, alongside her husband and fellow artist, Lee Craigmile. Together they co-founded the Glasgow Academy of Fine Art in 2019, a formal training academy at which she taught traditional methods of representational drawing and painting to aspiring professional artists. In 2024, Gibson and Craigmile decided to transition the Academy, moving the school to Lee’s hometown on the west coast and combining it with their personal painting studio to create Ayrshire Atelier of Fine Art. Gibson acts as Creative Director and Principal Instructor of Studio Workshops at the atelier, and she splits her time between painting for galleries and commissions, teaching, and raising her young son.

Gibson's work is shown throughout the U.S., U.K. and Europe and can be found in the New Britain Museum of American Art, The New Salem Museum of Art and in numerous private collections. She is represented by Arcadia Contemporary in Soho, NYC.

ACCOMMODATION and Travel details

Please visit our About the Studio page for more information on traveling to Largs and on finding accommodation.